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Al'terra (Technology)
Technology in Al'terra is quite separate form magic - although magic (specifically fvi) has helped advance technology, any existing tech in Al'terra stands on its own, not relient on magic....as much as possible. While static electricity is known (not named as such), there is no sense of actual electricity or magnets at all. Technology is within the Middle Ages with the exception of gunpowder Communication See Al'terra Transport Written language and spoken language has existed a very long time in Al'terra, paper for several thousand years, the development of how to write on it has changed. Pencil and the Claw/ink are relatively common and more recent still. Over long distance, beacons and visual signals have been used to good effect. The printing press is around, though they are complex and few. Construction and Architecture More complex lights are usually held in glass globes that hold twice fine sands separated by a glass barrier (this design varies). If the globe is then gently shaken, the substances react to produce the chemical glow - a catalyst can speed this up. The light lasts a varying amount of time and can be doused with water. The wet sand can be taken to a merchant to be sold back - separate, dried, left in the sun, and then resold. The natural light is a yellow/white light but can be changed with coloured glass. It's a bit cheaper than wax candles but changes in the economy. Buildings are most often made by stone - older buildings carved out of actual stone while newer buildings made from cut stone, one story, up to several, and more if its a tower. Building exteriors are plain by comparison, and the interiors are not much prettier, but functional and in warm tones. Product Sources of energy have primarily come from brute force of physical labour, chemical, some harnessing of tides (though this is primitive), some fossil fuels (again primitive) Medicine See Al'terra (Medicine) The newest innovation in medicine has been the development of a universal manuel shared by all the doctors of Al'terra even though there is no regulation on doctors. Business Education In terms of teaching, schools are typically equipped with slates and chalk, with pencils, and the ocassional 'magic lantern' type tech to show carefully drawn pictures. Agriculture Agriculture draws on the tech of the middle century, though the Al'terrians have a very good sense of selective breeding and have used this knowledge for their own benefit and also sold it to their allies. Food See Al'terra (Food) Civil For how Fresh and waste water are dealt with, see Al'terra (Infrastructure) Clocks and time are still a developing technology in Al'terra - clocks are largely weight based and mechanical and are found on in public, often backlit in the evenings. Clocks are calibrated by a more perfect clock held in the Pride (possibly a pendulum?). People might commonly have a more imprecise clock they routinely calibrate in their house though many people are happy to live by the public clock. Transit and Transport See Al'terra (Transportation) While the Pride might be experimenting with steam powered movement, the rest of the world is stuck at the wheel, at carraige and horse.